Oblivious
by Kado-Kattsune
Summary: When it came to love and romance Niu was about as perseptive as a sack of hammers. The plastic kind that squeak.
1. Meeting

A/N: This is a response to the 'Drown Me Slowly' Challange on Luna as well as a companion fic to destinyswindow's 'Drowning in the Scarlet Flame'. Some of the chapters will go together, so be sure to read both. This first chapter isn't much, nor does it really give anything to go on, but it starts to piece together Niu and Hien's past. I hope I don't confuse everyone too much with this collection.

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Sawada Iemitsu shifted on his feet, casting a look around the unfamiliar airport. He had been sent by the Ninth to retrieve two of the remaining members of a Family that was allied with Vongola. The details pertaining to what exactly had become of this allied Family were still unclear. All the man knew was that the Ninth had made it clear that he wanted these two survivors transported out of China and to Italy as soon as possible. It wasn't until he saw just who he was escorting back to Italy that he understood the Ninth's insistence on haste.

Iemitsu was instantly reminded of his son back home in Japan. Tsunayoshi had just turned five that year, and the two girls in front of him couldn't be any older than that. Though both looked up at him with wide eyes, their expressions were ultimately blank. As if they hadn't fully registered the tragedy that had befallen them, nor the fact that they were just about to leave everything that had ever been familiar to them behind. Introductions were given in broken Chinese and the small duffle bags containing the two girls' belongings were handed over to the Japanese man. It was then- as those who had escorted the two small girls to the airport fussed over them one last time- that he noticed that this whole time the two had been holding hands. Holding hands as if they feared, if they let go, the very ground would disappear out from under them. It was almost enough to break his heart. 


	2. Misunderstanding

A/N: I quite enjoy this chapter.

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From the time she had first arrived at Namimori, the future head of the Vongola had seen Niu do some strange (and in most cases crazy-reckless) things. She had given him a strange nickname, picked endless fights with Gokudera, mouthed off to Hibari, and never seemed to have understood the reason why no one would let her bring a concealed sniper rifle to class with her. So, when Hien dragged the unenthusiastic blonde along for one of Yamamoto's baseball games, it wasn't completely unexpected for the Chinese sharpshooter to do something inexplicably weird. Tsuna supposed that wearing a reinforced football helmet fit in that category well.

"Stupid woman, at least figure out what sport you're watching." Niu 'tch-ed' and rolled her eyes at the bomb wielder's words.

"I know exactly what I'm watching. This is for protection." To emphasize her point, Niu reached up and tapped a fist to the helmet. Tsuna turned a worried glance to Hien, hoping the redhead would provide some sort of explanation. Hien, however, simply smiled; too occupied with the baseball game to notice that Niu was being ridiculous. It was, after all, practically an everyday occurrence.

"Take that stupid thing off. You're embarrassing the Tenth."

"Decimo's just fine. You're the one making all the racket." Gokudera scowled at the blonde's words, not at all fond of the idea that she was implying he was imagining things about the Tenth. Having had quite enough of her random and pointless insistence on wearing a football helmet to a baseball game, the Italian reached over and began trying to forcibly remove the helmet from the sniper's head.

"ARGH! What the hell?"

"Damnit, woman! Stop trying to kick me in the face!"

"Get off!"

The situation devolved quickly from there until the only ones that remained on the bleachers near the two rampaging teens were Tsuna, who was too scared to move, and Hien, who still hadn't turned her eyes from the game. Eventually, when their scuffle reached the topmost bleacher, Gokudera succeeded in wrenching the helmet from the blonde's head and chucking it as far as he could manage, a satisfied smirk on his face. Niu sprang to her feet, poised to resume their fighting.

CRACK. SMACK.

Before Niu could make another move towards the Italian, a baseball came flying over the fence and proceeded to knock the blonde upside the head with a resounding smack, bouncing off her head and landing in the Smokin' Bomb's hands. The sharpshooter teetered on her feet for a moment before tipping backwards and tumbling down the remaining bleachers, where she laid sprawled and unmoving.

"N-Niu-san!" Tsuna exclaimed, rushing over to see if the sniper was still alive.

"What the hell was that?" Gokudera demanded, dropping the baseball as if he thought he would be blamed for what just happened.

"That," Hien started, showing for the first time that she was not completely oblivious to what had transpired between her friend and Tsuna's 'right hand'. "Was the reason why she was wearing the helmet." Both boys looked just as confused as they had before she had spoken. Hien heaved a sigh and attempted to explain. "See, every time I take Niu to one of Namimori's baseball games or practices and Yamamoto is up to bat, she gets hit in the head with the ball."

"Why?"

"Well, my theory is that he keeps subconsciously hitting the ball in her direction because he has a crush on her and hasn't realized it yet. Niu, on the other hand, is starting to think that he's out to kill her."


	3. For You

Valentine's Day was always a hectic event at Namimori Middle School. Not only where there the usual worries and anxieties of giving chocolates to the object of your affections and hoping your feelings will be returned but when the Head of the Disciplinary Committee hated just about any sort of gathering or anything that disrupted 'his' school the day became rather like a game of cat-and-mouse.

Female students attempting to deliver their handmade gifts without bringing the wrath of Hibari Kyouya down upon them. The male students usually sent to the hospital, still clutching the chocolates they had received despite having been beaten senseless. This time, however, things seemed to be going surprisingly smoothly for the lovebirds of Namimori and the reason why was currently drawing a crowd in the school's court yard.

"Please!"

Drag.

"Please!"

Drag.

"Hibari-saaaan!"

Fai Niu had somehow managed to latch herself onto the Disciplinary Head's leg and was being dragged across the school grounds, refusing to let go and trying with all her might to get the anti-social boy to take a ribbon wrapped package, screaming the whole way and making the biggest scene the students had seen since No-Good Tsuna had shown up in his boxers.

Off to the side, unnoticed by the gathering spectators Hien was looking mortified, one hand attempting to cover her reddening face. She never should have asked Niu to deliver her chocolates for her- no matter how easy it had been to bribe the blonde to do it.


	4. Worry

A/N: Hey, so it's been a while, huh? I know there's no real continuity in this thing and it kind of jumps around, and I'm sorry for that. But I'm just kind of writing as the ideas come. I do actually have a timeline of events planned out, I just can't seem to do an actual, continuous story for Niu. There will be a follow up to this, though, eventually. Thanks for putting up with me. xD

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Niu yawned, leaning back against the couch and stretching, before returning her gaze to the coffee table. Strewn about the entire surface of the table were the parts that normally made up her favorite rifle. Hien had gone out with Kyoko and Haru earlier so Niu decided now was as good of time as any to do her gun maintenance. Hien always complained about the smell of the cleaner anyway. The blonde tsk-ed as she set several smaller parts in Tupperware to soak. Hien worked with chemicals, so how could gun cleaner bother her so much?

The growl of the sharpshooter's stomach removed her from her thoughts and reminded her that she'd been working for hours without stopping for breakfast or lunch. Niu rubbed irritably at her stomach as she looked over her half-finished cleaning. She hated to leave her rifle unassembled and unattended, but she was hungry and Hien had expressly prohibited her from cooking in the apartment alone. With an irritated sigh at her stomach's timing, Niu tossed her tools back in her small toolbox and wiped off her hands, tossing her work-rag back on to the table.

Once dressed, Niu headed out to fill her complaining stomach. She'd made sure nothing on the coffee table would leak onto the floor, double checked that she had her wallet, her keys, enough money for sushi, and locked the door behind her. There was nothing better than Yama-papa's sushi for lunch. With her mind focused on yummy things for lunch, Niu hadn't even realized that she'd left her cellphone on the couch.

Niu wasn't even halfway to the local sushi shop before a nagging feeling caused her to stop in her tracks. It was a familiar feeling. Similar to going up against an enemy, bloodlust, but different. This feeling she recognized from her childhood. Xanxus? No, older than that. Back to China. This was the same feeling she'd had whenever her father's second-in-command had been in the room. Resentment, barley contained anger and hatred, killing intent. Of course, she had been too young then to recognize that feeling for what it was. All the five year old Niu had known was that she hadn't liked the gaudy woman.

Niu leaned closer to a store's large glass window, pretending to fix her hair as she scanned the reflection of the surrounding crowd. Nothing. Someone with trashy make-up and bad lipstick shouldn't be so hard to spot. The Italian raised sniper glared at the refection in the window, rubbing at her stomach. It looked like lunch was out. In fact, she needed to get out of this heavily populated area as fast as she could. Niu could kick herself for leaving the apartment unarmed.

Looking casual, Niu continued her was down the crowded street. Grey eyes scanning the crowd as she moved. The first alleyway the blonde came across she ducked down, moving faster now. Niu tried to gather her thoughts as she rounded another corner. Just because that bitch was lurking around didn't mean that she hadn't brought backup. She had no idea where Hien was and Niu couldn't risk finding her with an enemy on her heels.

The weaponless sharpshooter's thoughts were interrupted when a knife embedded itself into the wall directly in front of her face. With a hiss and a curse, Niu stumbled back. She just had time to regain her balance before the teen dropped to the floor, avoiding another two knives that impaled the spot her head had been an instant before. The click of heels and rackous laughter drew the Chinese girl's attention to the end of the alleyway.

"How impressive, Niu-sama. You managed to avoid them all." The woman who approached had red hair, done up in an intricate Chinese style. Her make-up was heavy and her outfit showed more than a little cleavage. "Do you remember me?"

"Yeah, you're that bitch that stabbed my father in the back." Niu spat. The last memory Niu had of her father was of this woman, someone her father had trusted, cutting him down from behind. She'd been too cowardly to even face him head on. "What do you want, Xiao Hong?"

"I'm here for your father's Tai-shu Mist ring, dearie." The woman gave a lipstick lined smile that was as fake as the rest of her, gesturing with her knife to one of the ornate rings hanging from a thin chain around Niu's neck. "The others too, of course."

"Over my dead body!"

"I was hoping you'd say that." With a flick of her wrist, the knife in Xiao Hong's hand went sailing for the blonde's head. Niu sprung to the side, scrambling to her feet to avoid the blade. She hadn't been fast enough to avoid the knife entirely, hissing as the cut to her arm began to bleed. Not wanting to give the red headed woman another chance to toss a knife, Niu kicked the knife that was now by her foot back at its owner. The Chinese assassin dodged with ease but it gave Niu the chance she needed to get away.

As the blonde was forced to retreat, one thing she hated, Niu couldn't help but worry. Were more of the Li-ying around? Of course they were. Xiao Hong had just said she was after the Tai-shu rings. The question was how many had come with her. Did they find Hien? Hien had the other three rings. If they found her while she was out shopping...

Niu shook her head, trying to clear it. She couldn't worry about that now, she needed to focus. A familiar whooshing from behind her caused Niu to throw herself to the ground as the knives sailed above her, clanging off a nearby metal staircase. The teen coughed, having landed harder than she intended.

"This is very boring, Niu-sama. Are you just going to run away? Even your father did more than that before I cut him down." Xiao Hong's obnoxious voice filled the area, echoing off the walls. Niu clenched her jaw as she got to her feet, scooping up the knives that were thrown at her moments before. She couldn't afford to get angry. Not without a weapon she was used to, not without her gun. Niu swung around, aiming to return the knives to their owner with better accuracy than her attempt before. There was just one problem, Xiao Hong was nowhere in sight.

"..." Grey eyes scanned the area as she worked to steady her breathing, lower her heart rate. It was just like sniping. She needed to be calm. She needed to focus. The Chinese woman's grating laughter sounded again. This time much closer than before. If fact it seemed to be- Behind?

Before Niu could turn, there was a horrible burning sensation across her back. Niu knew immediately what had happened. That bitch had pulled the same thing she had done with Niu's father and attacked her from behind. There was pressure to her neck as she was grabbed from behind and flung against the alleyway wall, now facing her attacker.

_Strike back!_ Her mind yelled but between not eating all day and the pain of her recent wound, her vision was beginning to swim. Niu wouldn't be able to aim properly. Not even giving her the opportunity to try, Xiao Hong impaled the younger girl's shoulders, preventing any risk of the gunless sniper's retaliation.

"I'll be taking these now." There was a quiet snap as the chain around Niu's neck broke. With a triumphant grin, more smug than even Verde's, Xiao Hong held up her prize. Three rings glinting in the faint light of the alleyway. "Say hello to your father for me. Ciao~."

"Wh-" Niu's question was never formed as Xiao Hong placed a hand on Niu's chest and shoved her...right through the wall she had been pinned against only moments earlier. Of course. That tacky bitch was a Mist user. The wall had been an illusion. But this revelation came too late. The blonde had already been shoved from the alleyway, out into the street and directly into the path of an oncoming car. Bleeding, already exhausted from fighting Xiao Hong without lunch or a weapon, and hardly enough stamina left to stand, there was no way Niu could avoid being hit. The bitch had won.

The next thing Niu was aware of was the sensation of sailing through the air. Then a hard impact and tumbling across the ground. She must have landed near the door of some store, she could faintly hear the ringing of the bell on the door. Her vision was blurring, Niu could no longer focus on the sounds around her. Shouting? It didn't matter. She could already feel herself slipping away. Somewhere, just before Niu lost sense of everything, something floated up from from her subconscious. An old memory, an old song. Faint images replaying in the back of her mind. A small Hien and herself sitting on the porch of their new home in Italy, playing a rhythm game form the homeland they left behind. How fitting for a last memory...

_Al a re laye, al a re layo, al a re laya, al a reya._


End file.
